Hat-blocking and brim-pressing machine



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

W. H. PITTILLA. HAT BLOCKING AND BRIM PRESSING MACHINE.

No. 462,585. Patented Nov. 3, 1891.

Hull

WITNESSES: INVENTUR M4 s W Q W ATTORNEY UNITED STATES \VILLIAM II. PITTILLA, OF

PATENT OFFICE,

DANBURY, CONNECTICUT.

HAT-BLOCKING AND BRIM-PRESSING MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 462,585, dated November 3, 1891.

Application filed July 30, 1891- .ressin machines and has for its ob'eet to improve theconstruction shown and described in Letters Patent No. 150,422, issued tome April 1 1891.

In order that those skilled in the art to which my invention appertains mayfull'y understand its construction and operation, I will proceed to describe the same in detail, referring by numbers to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, and in whichv Figure 1 is a front elevation of my improved machine; Fig. 2, a sectional. side elevation of the same, and Fig. 3 a detail bottom view of the steam battle-plate.

Similar numbers of reference denote like parts in the several figures.

1 is a steam-box open at the top to admit the hat, as will be hereinafter set forth.

2 is the base of my machine, made hollow so as to be heated by steam and having a central opening 3, flared outwardly from top to bottom and communicating with the box 1, which latter is secured to the bottom of said base by bolts 4. The base is supported on any suitable stand 5, having uprights t rising therefrom and united at the top after the manner of a yoke.

7 is the brim-presser, hollow for the ad1nission of steam and guided on ways 8 at the inner faces of the uprights. This presser has an opening 9 therethrough adapted to admit the hat-block and registering with the opening in the base.

10 is a yoke rising from. the brim-presser and adapted to admit the hat-block, as will be presently explained.

11 is a hollow spindle extending through a Serial No. 401,196. (No model.)

the upper face of the presser 13 and adapted to be operated to overlie the shoulder 15 on the yoke 10, whereby said presser and yoke are locked together.

16 is a rod adapted to slide freely within the hollow spindle 11 and secured at its lower 6 5 end to the block-presser 13.

17 is an arm rising from the top of the yoke of the uprights 6 and having journaled therein a pulley 18. Over this pulley runs a rope 19,

one end of which is secured to an eye 20 on the spindle 11, while to the other end is attached a counterpoise 21, which latter is about equal in weight to the weight of the yoke 10 and the parts moving in harmony therewith.

22 is a hand-lever, pivoted at 23 to one of the uprights 6, and 21 is a link whose ends are pivoted respectively at 525 to the said lever and at 26 to cars 27, rising from the presser 13.

28 is a condensing-chamber in the lower portion of the box 1, and is formed by secur- 8o ing a baflieplate 29 over the mouth of the inlet steam-pipe 30. The objectof this plate is to prevent the waters of condensation from being blown against the hat, thereby wetting the latter, and furthermore to insure the admission of live steam only to the hat-crown. 31 is the exhaust-pipe leading from said box.

333 are pipes, whereby steam is admitted to the brim-presser and base, and 31 35 are the respective exhaust-pipes thereof.

The operation of my improvement s as follows: The parts of the machine being in normal position, as shown at Fig. 1, a hat is placed with its crown within the opening 3 in the base and its brim resting upon the latter. The lever 22 is now operated to depress the presser 7 upon. the brim and steam admitted within the box 1 to soften the crown of the hat. The brim being tightly clamped, no steam can possiblyiittack the same. then placed within the hat-crown 38, the button 1-1: cast oft the shoulder 15, and the lever The block 36 is 22 operated to depress the presser 13 against the block, thereby forcing the latter completely within the softened crown of the hat. A flange 37 on the presser 13 abuts against the brim-presser, and thereby limit-s the ef-' fective action of said presser 13, so that it is impossible to force the block too far Within the hat-crown. The flaring of the openingB allows the steam 'to soften the sides of the crown, so that the blocking of the hat may be complete and uniform from the brim to the tip.

The box 1, base 2, brim-presser 7, yoke 10, block-presser 13, and steam supply and exhaust pipes are all substantially the same in structure and function as are the corresponding parts in my Letters Patent above referred to, my present invention having particular reference to the means employed for effecting the operations of the brim and block pressers.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a brim-pressing and hat-blocking machine, the combination, with the brim-presser and block-presser guided in suitable ways and capable of a free independent vertical reciprocation, of an operating-lever pivoted to a stationary part of the machine, a link whose ends are pivoted, respectively, to said lever and block-presser, and means for locking said brim-presser and block-presser together,

whereby the brim and crown of the hat may be operated upon one in advance of the other, substantially as set forth.

2. In a machine of the character described, the combination, with the vertically-guided and reciprocatory brim-presser and blockpresser, of an operating-lever pivoted to a stationary part of the machine, means for locking together or separating said pressers, and operative connections between said lever and block-presser, whereby the latter may be depressed, substantially as set forth.

3. The combination of the hollow spindle guided and operated within suitable bearings,

the rod interior of said spindle and having a free movement therein, the brim-presser and block-presser secured to the lower ends of said spindle and rod, respectively, a counterbalance mechanism connected to said spindle andadapted to keep the latter normally elevated, the pivoted operating-lever, means for locking together said pressers, and the link whose ends are respectively pivoted to said lever and blockpresser, substantially as shown and described.

. In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

IVILLIAM H PITTILLA. 

